These Guys Get It - Web 2.0: MindMeister 
MindMeister: Mind Mapping, Brain Storming, Collaboration, and Publication
I recently was looking for an online mind mapping tool that would allow me to create/update mind maps online and keep them in a centralized location. I really like
Freemind but I'm fairly anti-desktop software these days as I find myself frequently switching between my work laptop, home laptop, and various other workstations. Being the raving Google fan that I am, I would have preferred if there were a mind-map option in Google docs, but alas not yet.
After the obligatory Google search for such tools, I had a handful to investigate further. I tried the first three I found;
Bubbl.us,
MindMeister, and
MindDomo. Something about the Mindomo sign-up screen put me off, if felt too 2002. I immediately was pleased with the user-interface of bubbl.us but the feature set left me underwhelmed. Then I tried MindMeister and within minutes I was impressed several times over.
- Reusing over Reinventing: MindMeister allowed me to immediately and simply upload existing Freemind mind-maps that I had already created. I wasn't even looking for this but what a great feature if you're transitioning from Freemind! As well as providing the ability to import Freemind maps, MindMeister used the same keyboard shortcuts for building and navigating the map online. This is a great example of the software designers focusing on perceived integrity and conceptual integrity as explained by the Poppendiecks in Lean Software Development.
- Collaboration: MindMeister has tapped the cask of fine social-networking wine and it tastes oh so nice. Within a few minutes I was able to invite a few friends to collaborate with me on a mind-map and I could see their changes as they were brainstorming with me.
- Publication: Mind mapping is a communication tool to express relationships and spawn new ideas in the same manner that the neural network of our brain operates. As such it needs to be seen to be valuable. MindMeister allows you to easily publish your mind-maps as links or embedded frames on your website. Of course you can always export and print as well!
If you would like to see an example of the publishing capability, I have started a page on
Complex Adaptive Systems which displays a MindMeister mind map I'm using while I research the topic.
Try mind mapping, it can be both fun and productive. Better yet, try it with some friends on MindMeister!
